Topic > Ethical Theories: Virtue and Utilitarian Ethics

In this essay I will describe, explain, and defend my favorite ethical theories, which are virtue ethical theory and utilitarian ethical theory. I will also make an effort to adequately demonstrate how they act as guides and identify their strengths and limitations. I will articulate a preference for the two ethical theories mentioned above, providing adequate and meaningful explanations and justifications for each ethical theory independently. First let me define ethics and ethical theory, two of the most important concepts that will be used in this essay. What is ethics? We often hear the term ethics used, but it is not always clear what the definition and/or meaning is. In general, ethics refers to the study of right and wrong behaviors. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Every day I face many situations and always have to decide what course of action to take. Should I act on ethical principles or should I ignore ethical principles in deciding what to do? The ethics I choose to adopt and practice, and the ethical theories I learned in the Ethics in Governance course, have provided me with the ethical principles and values ​​I need to be able to answer such an important question. How do I respond to these situations? Virtue ethics and utilitarian ethics provide some answers. According to Fieser, J., ethical theories are a systematic effort to understand moral concepts and justify moral principles and theories. There are different ethical principles and each has its pros and cons and is considered from different perspectives and/or points of view. Let me once again restate my favorite ethical theories, the theories that will remain the main focus of this short essay, are virtue ethical theory and utilitarian ethical theory. The first ethical theory that will be discussed is virtue ethics. Virtue ethics emphasizes an individual's character as a key element of ethical thinking, rather than rules about the acts themselves. Deontology and consequentialism are two ethical theories and/or philosophies closely associated with virtue ethics. In my opinion, virtue ethics is a moral philosophy that emphasizes the role of an individual's character and virtues in evaluating the rightness of actions. As mentioned above, it is often compared to deontological ethics, which emphasizes adherence to moral guidelines, and consequentialist ethics, which determines the acceptability of an action by its consequences. Here is an example of how virtue ethics influenced my decision. Virtue ethics promotes good moral principles such as honesty, integrity, and fairness, which is in line with my decision not to steal even when the opportunity to do so exists. I just demonstrated how virtue ethics led me to do something that is considered good. Stealing is generally considered wrong, while stealing is accepted as wrong based on the virtue ethics of honesty. I would like to reiterate the meaning of ethics by providing an additional definition to support my application and the example provided. Ethics refers to a theory or system that deals with values ​​regarding human conduct, the rightness and wrongness of certain actions, and the goodness and badness of the motives and purposes of such actions. Virtue ethics serves as a guide for my behavior and value system. For example, if I were in a situation where I can easily steal an object that has value to me, I would not steal the object because of my preference for virtue ethics, especially the virtue ethics of honesty. This is a case where ethical theories, principles and values ​​havehelped shape my daily decisions and actions. Taking this course of action based on virtue ethics may be a disadvantage to me because I will now be left without an object that I value and am meant to be, but I am committed to being honest in most if not all circumstances. Kindness towards someone who is having a bad day can make them smile and build a relationship. I take this opportunity to encourage you to be virtuous. This is one of the reasons I preferred virtue ethics. Virtue ethics offers an explanation of right and wrong based on what a "virtuous agent" would do. Virtue ethics indicates that an action is right if and only if it is what a virtuous person would do under certain circumstances. I selected virtue ethics as one of my favorites because of my personal character and value system. I am honest, kind, transparent, responsible, generous, fair and just. I wouldn't engage in wrongdoing even if it were beneficial to me and that falls very much into virtue ethics. It is now clear that my behavior is guided by good values ​​and good habits and is based on the given definition of virtue ethics, where it was implied that the foundation of morality and virtues is the development of good character qualities. In the decisions and actions of my daily life, I always do what is right to be considered a glassy person. I possess moral excellence and as such share a strong preference for virtue ethics. We all agree that a virtuous person has personal qualities such as honesty. They do what is accepted as right, they do not act on selfish impulses and desires. Virtue ethics has many positive aspects that I benefit from by being a virtuous person. First, I am motivated to practice good molarity, to make decisions that are beneficial to others, and I am also encouraged to be honest by virtue ethics. It is important to note that virtue ethics is a good way to build society as it helps citizens to be good people. The limitation I experience in practicing virtue ethics is that it is sometimes difficult to decide what to do when faced with a moral problem and what would be considered right based on the situations in question. I think this is one of the major flaws of virtue ethics, there is no definitive answer on what to do if you have a moral problem. A further weakness of virtue ethics theory is that it can overlook important obligations, but knowing that obligations should be based on ethical principles and less on shared responsibility lightens the burden. However, I must state that the positive outweighs the negative in virtue ethics. Second, I will discuss utilitarian ethics. According to Duignan, B., and West, human resource utilitarianism provides an answer to the question "What should a person do?" The answer is that a person should act to produce the best possible consequences. In my understanding of utilitarian ethics, right or wrong is based entirely on outcomes. Wrong or right in this regard is based on the consequences derived from an act or decision. Utilitarian ethics is based on the idea that the consequence of the act is the most important determinant of whether the act is moral or not. One of the most identifiable and recognizable benefits of utilitarian ethics is that it focuses on humanity seeking to achieve the greatest good. . For example, people who dedicate their whole life to charities are good for humanity and will achieve the greatest good, however that person may have to sacrifice wealth. It is always good to promote humanitarian behavior and for me this is a plus for ethics/